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Information About Jack and Jill

This nursery rhyme is an all time classic. Complete details of its origin are not known and whatever is known is somewhat obscure but Jack and Jill can be traced back to the 18th century. The lyrics were first published in John Newbery's Mother Goose's Melody in the 1760s.

The names Jack and Jill appear together in two of Shakespeare's plays: A Midsummer's Night's Dream and Love's Labour's Lost. However, there is no evidence to say that he is referencing the nursery rhyme characters and may just be using Jack and Jill to represent a common name for man and woman.

Jill is a unit of liquid measurement (1/2 gallon).

Jack is also a unit of liquid measurement (a quart).

The song may be about the king raising taxes on alcohol.

Jack refers to King Louis of France when he got beheaded ("and broke his crown") and Jill the Queen "came tumbling after". The rhyme was later altered so it could become more suitable for children.

For any further information about the song "Jack and Jill" you may find Wikipedia helpful.

Alternative Lyrics & Related Songs

An alternate 2nd Verse

Up Jack got and home did trot
as fast as he could caper
Where Old Dame Trot
wrapped up his knot
With vinegar and brown paper.

The counting version moves on

Jill came in and she did grin
To see his paper plaster;
Mother vexed did whip her next
For causing Jack's disaster.

And a fourth:.

Now Jack did laugh and Jill did cry
But her tears did soon abate;
Then Jill did say that they should play
At see-saw across the gate.

Some new arrangements of the words that make this song fun

Up he got and home he trot
As fast as he could caper
Went to bed and wrapped his head
In vinegar and brown paper.

Jill came in,
how she did grin,
to see Jack's paper plaster,
Mother vexed and spanked her next,
for causing Jack's disaster.

Of course there are a lot of versions

Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water.
Jack fell down and broke his crown,
And Jill came tumbling after.

Up Jack got, and home did trot,
As fast as he could caper,
To old Dame Dob, who patched his nob
With vinegar and brown paper.